


A Night at the Opera

by ks_villain



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Old Republic
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-22
Updated: 2013-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-05 11:16:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1093258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ks_villain/pseuds/ks_villain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vector and Dr. Lokin have a little adventure on Dromund Kaas. They go to the opera together, survive an assassination attempt and develop an unusual kind of friendship along the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Night at the Opera

**Author's Note:**

  * For [100indecisions](https://archiveofourown.org/users/100indecisions/gifts).



The test results finally appeared on the big screen, confirming his worst fears in bright, red letters. 

Lokin sighed as he lifted one of the vials against the light, squinting at its contents. It was the blood sample he had taken from Vector earlier, there was no doubt about it. Automatically, he inspected the other vials, checking their labeling and seals, searching for possible sources of error.

It didn't look as if there had been a mistake. More and more data began to fill the screen, and all of the test results so far supported his hypothesis. Everything turned out exactly the way he had been expecting, but that didn't fill him with the same sense of accomplishment it usually did. This time … he would have actually preferred to be wrong.

Lokin rubbed his temples and started to pace in his lab. He was restless, full of nervous energy, but at the same time he also felt drained, just like he did right after a transformation. He was not ready to admit how much this whole affair had weighed on him, not even to himself. 

He had long suspected that the scientists involved in Project Prothean were behind the attacks on his safe-houses, but he had not known for sure. He had been observing them for years, the organization as well as their various projects. When Vector had joined the crew, Lokin had immediately speculated that the same group of scientists was responsible for the young man's … condition. Too many similarities to be a coincidence. 

But all of that had just been a theory, until now. The test results showing up on his screen suddenly made all this speculating reality. And Lokin saw himself forced to accept a harsh truth. 

It had been his own studies that had enabled the scientists to conduct their experiments. The person who was ultimately responsible for Vector's condition ... was no one else but he, himself.

Lokin took a deep breath and stopped his pacing with a great effort of will, looking once more at the red numbers blinking ominously on the big screen. He'd run the tests again. Just to make sure. 

While Lokin was preparing another round of tests, another member of the Phantom's crew was already up and awake. 

Vector was always the first on board to rise, even before Cipher 9 began her rigorous and disciplined morning workout. He did not require much sleep and he rather enjoyed the early hours of the day, when the crew was still asleep. In space, the distinction between night and day might be an artificial one, but while they were back on Dromund Kaas, he could actually feel the difference. He would sit in silence and listen, to the sounds of the universe and those of the ship, the thrumming of the engines, the creaking of the hull, and of course the rest of the crew as they slowly began to stir. 

Drinking the herbal tea Cipher 9 had gifted him with, he turned his awareness to her quarters. She rarely slept well these days, and he could often hear her walk around in her quarters, or talk to herself. Not so today. Kaliyo was fast asleep as well. Sometimes he could hear her loud voice echoing through the ship, even trough several walls of steel, but today everything was quiet from that direction. However, there were faint noises coming from Lokin's lab, which was quite unusual. The doctor was not normally up at this time. 

Vector was not one to impose his presence on the other crew members, but something told him to go and see how the doctor was doing. He didn't quite understand where the sudden desire came from, but he decided to follow his first instinct on the matter. 

Right from the beginning, there had been a strange sort of kinship between him and Doctor Lokin. The man's aura was fascinating, feral and very intense, dark red and always shifting, and Lokin himself was just as interesting as his aura. Vector liked talking to him. And he had noticed that while the man did not generally seem to like people, he did stop rather often to have a little chat with him.

Decision made, Vector poured a second cup and carried it over to the former med bay, taking care to announce his presence by clearing his throat. 

“Master Vector,” Lokin greeted him in a strange tone of voice. “Having trouble sleeping?”

Vector shook his head. "We do not wish to intrude, but we heard you were already up and we thought you might like some tea.” 

“It is already morning?“ Lokin blinked, honestly surprised, but he took the offered cup gladly, sipping the hot tea with a pleased hum. 

“Is there anything else we can do for you?” Vector threw a curious glance at the doctor's experiments, but did not comment further on them. Lokin would share whatever he wanted to share. The rest was his own business.

Several long minutes of silence stretched between them, but it was not an uncomfortable silence, as it would be between most other people. “Did you think about my invitation to the opera tonight?” Lokin finally said.

Vector just nodded respectfully. “We would be happy to accompany you.”

***

The performance in the great Kaas City Opera Hall was completely booked out. Every last seat in the arena and on the balconies was taken; even the adjoining hallways were crowded with those who had not managed to obtain tickets but wanted to listen to the sound of the music. Admirals and Moffs, Sith Lords and other nobles mingled with other opera enthusiasts, and everyone watching the performance was full of awe and gave it their undivided attention. 

Everyone but Doctor Lokin. When the thundering finale of the last act started, he tried to lose himself in the music, as he usually did. The performance was spectacular. The deep red colors of the stage lights contrasted with the dark velvet of the singer's voice and her glittering dress. The uplifting and dramatic melody never failed to move him deeply, but today his thoughts were elsewhere.

The music did not seem to reach him. He kept being distracted, not by his companion – Vector was unobtrusive, gentle, quiet, in short everything one could wish for in a companion for the highlight of the Kaas City opera season. What kept diverting his attention were the people around him in the audience. 

He had been noticing the same behavior all evening. Ladies shuddering theatrically, gazes that were averted a little too quickly, muttering voices, eyes shining with barely hidden disgust... 

Vector did not seem to care, he was completely focused on the performance, his face serene as always, but Lokin himself was far from calm. The music only seemed to strengthen his emotional turmoil. As the last act came to a furious finale, he looked down at his clenched fists, surprised by his own anger. 

Why did he care so much for how people treated Vector? More importantly, why did this affect him so personally, he kept asking himself over and over again. Was it just guilt? He could not deny that there was a strange sense of kinship between them. After all, they were both something more than human.

The only difference was that he had chosen this path. Vector had never been given that choice; the decision had been taken from him. Vector had had a life before this. A promising career. A fiancée even ... Lokin had done some research.

As the last aria came to an end and thundering applause broke out around them, Lokin had to clasp his own hands to hide their shaking. He could not remember having ever been so unreasonably angry: at the scientist of Project Prothean, at his former superiors in Imperial Intelligence, and most of all at himself. 

He could not shake off the anger simmering deep inside of him all evening, not even when they had almost reached the hangar where the Phantom was docked. 

Vector, who had been going on about the performance (he was delighted and perhaps a little overwhelmed by the experience), seemed to sense it, but only when they were in the hangar's elevator, almost back on the ship, did he speak up: 

“You still seem troubled, if you permit us the observation.”

“I have been thinking about... ,” Lokin had just started to explain when he saw something move from the corner of his eye. His instinct and countless years of experience told him to duck. A blaster bolt sizzled by his shoulder, missing him by only a few inches. Another shot almost hit Vector, who managed to throw himself to the side just in time. 

Then the assassin was upon them, knocking Vector out with a well aimed kick to the face and disarming Lokin before he knew what was happening. She came from the shadows, from the maintenance shaft to be more precise, moving with utter silence, attacking them with a vibroblade the size of her forearm. And she was good, fast and deadly: a professional without a doubt. 

She went straight for the kill, almost succeeding in finishing off an unconscious Vector, but Lokin managed to deflect her blade in time. The assassin did not hesitate a split second, turning to her new target as her priority shifted. She was obviously trying to finish her job quickly. 

Unfortunately for her, her client had not seen fit to tell her what kind of target she would be facing. Lokin transformed on the jump, tearing into her shoulder before she had a chance to escape. When she saw her own red blood gushing from her wound, she screamed. Once she saw his face in the light, she went dead silent. The fight was over quickly.

When he transformed back into human shape a few minutes later, breathing heavily, Lokin immediately went down to his knees to check up on Vector, who was already regaining consciousness. 

The joiner took one look at the bloody mess then tried to stand. He did not seem perturbed by what he saw, muttering his thanks and accepting Lokin's help to get up. He calmly bent over the mangled body, but of course there was no ID card, no way of identifying their attacker. 

They pulled the body into a dark corner, continuing the last part of the way in silence. Only when they were walking up the Phantom's ramp did Lokin stop Vector for a word. 

“I have started working on a cure for your condition, just thought you might want to know.”

Vector actually gave him a small smile, and Lokin realized that was the first time he had seen the joiner use such a human expression. Vector had been long among the Killik; he was only slowly starting to remember his human side. 

“We appreciate the offer, but we must decline.” Vector typed in the code for the ship's security system, then focused his unnerving black gaze fully on him. “We are who we are.” 

Lokin could not tell whether Vector was just referring to himself or to the both of them, but it did not really matter. 

They talked a lot that night, about things that they had never talked about with anyone else. Vector made it quite clear to him that he had no desire to “be cured”, but he also made the offer to support him in his search for the base of Project Prothean. 

And despite his distinct preference for working alone, Lokin eventually accepted the offer with a smile of his own.


End file.
